Urban modern art takes a new form in metropolitan areas through hand-painted mural advertisements. New York City, for example, spills over with aged, chipping wall paintings that used to advertise products popular generations ago. Now, scaffoldings and the “wall dogs” that work on them are making their comeback. Modern art spectacles are reappearing through the renovation of art via mural advertising.

“Up There”, a beautifully pieced-together documentary, follows the “wall dogs” (mural painters) as they tell their story in painting a mural for the most recent Stella Artois campaign. The craft of large-scale hand-painted advertising is revealed as one that is dying, and one that many like those in the documentary are struggling to keep alive. The tradition of this form of advertisement is one that remains in faded light, although a turn-around in this seemingly outdated craft appears to be on the rise.

“Up There” was produced and filmed during the making of the Ritual Project, the 20×50 stop-frame animation of the Belgian Pouring Ritual, which you see at the end of the documentary. Weeks upon weeks of painting sure bears some extraordinary artistic feats!

Ready to learn more about the documentary, the campaign, and the Ritual Project? Check it out here.